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Nate Barrus takes his turn digging holes for the sign posts. Also pictured are (L to R) Myles Richards, Chuck Russell (in Bobcat), Tim Barrus, and Sean Hansen. Brennen Hansen, Sean Hansen, and Andrew Cady ready the cement. Scouts Nate Barrus, Andrew Cady, and Dane Christoffersen, and BLM Firefighters Zack Irons, Myles Richards, and Chuck Russell stand in front of the finished product.

Boy Scouts Team-up with BLM to Install New Fire Danger Signs

By Sarah Beckwith, Public Affairs Specialist, Wind River/Big Horn Basin District

 Several local scouts teamed-up with BLM Wind River/Bighorn Basin District Fire Crew this summer to install three fire danger rating signs in the area. The new signs can be seen along highways in Lovell, Ten Sleep, and Thermopolis, Wyo.

According to Boy Scout Nate Barrus of Worland, the scouts mixed cement, dug holes, and installed the signs with the help of the BLM firefighters.

"My favorite part of the project was getting to travel to Lovell, Ten Sleep, and Thermopolis, and riding around with the firefighters," Nate said. He thought the 6:30 a.m. reporting time at the Worland Field Office was difficult, "but luckily he has a Dad who makes him get up," joked Nate's father, Tim Barrus. Nate was only two merit badges (out of 21) away from earning his Eagle Scout and the fire danger sign project fulfilled a service project requirement towards accomplishing his goal.

"The project was a benefit to the scouts as well as the BLM," said Fire Management Officer Chuck Russell. "The scouts were able to complete a service project and the BLM now has much-needed fire danger signs in place."

Fire danger rating signs are important for fire prevention. "The goal of the signs is to heighten public awareness when fire danger is high, very high, or extreme, and to reduce the number of human-caused fires," Russell said.

The Lovell and Thermopolis Fire Departments are partnering with BLM to change the indices on the signs as fire danger increases and decreases. The signs will also indicate when fire restrictions are in place and provide a phone number for more information.